Meal lifecycle management method and system

Abstract

A pressure-sensitive device and a computing device are configured to register various steps of a meal lifecycle, including one or more of food purchasing, meal preparation, the serving and consumption of a meal, use of leftovers, management of food inventory, the transferring of a food item from one container to another, the transferring of a food item into a container, the transferring of a portion of a food item into a container. A food item may be automatically identified based on a weight and footprint of the food item. In some instances, a database associates a food item with multiple footprints such that a food item may be identified regardless of its orientation on the pressure-sensitive device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for a meal preparation system comprising a pressure sensitive device and a controller, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the controller, a recipe associated with a meal to be prepared by a person; 
 receiving, by the controller and from the pressure sensitive device, transient footprint pressure variations that are caused by force from the person preparing the meal that is transferred to the pressure sensitive device; 
 identifying, by the controller, a transient signature from the transient footprint pressure variations; 
 identifying, by the controller, a meal preparation step that is associated with the identified transient signature; 
 comparing, by the controller, the identified meal preparation step to a corresponding step of the recipe; and 
 if the identified meal preparation step does not match the corresponding step of the recipe, alerting, by the controller, the person of a discrepancy between the identified meal preparation step and the associated step of the recipe, otherwise, if the identified meal preparation step matches the corresponding step of the recipe, updating, by the controller, a progress of the person preparing the meal. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the meal preparation step comprises one or more of transferring a food item into a container, transferring the food item out of the container, stirring the food item, whipping the food item, cutting the food item, opening a jar that contains the food item, or cutting the food item on a cutting block that has been placed on the pressure sensitive device. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the controller and from the pressure sensitive device, a footprint pressure distribution; and 
 identifying, by the controller, a meal preparation implement based on the received footprint pressure distribution, wherein the meal preparation implement is one or more of a knife, a spoon, a fork, a cutting block or a container. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 identifying a characteristic of the meal preparation step; and 
 comparing the identified characteristic to an expected characteristic of the corresponding step of the recipe, wherein the characteristic includes one or more of a duration or an intensity of the meal preparation step. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising if the identified meal preparation step does not match the corresponding step of the recipe, recommending one or more steps for the person to perform in order to address the discrepancy between the identified meal preparation step and the associated step of the recipe. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising if the identified meal preparation step matches the corresponding step of the recipe, notifying the person of a subsequent step in the recipe. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising upon determining that all steps of the recipe have been completed by the person, notifying the user that the recipe has been completed. 
     
     
       8. A non-transitory machine-readable medium for a meal preparation system comprising a pressure sensitive device and a controller, the non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of the controller, cause the processor to:
 receive a recipe associated with a meal to be prepared by a person; 
 receive, from the pressure sensitive device, transient footprint pressure variations that are caused by force from the person preparing the meal that is transferred to the pressure sensitive device; 
 identify a transient signature from the transient footprint pressure variations; 
 identify a meal preparation step that is associated with the identified transient signature; 
 compare the identified meal preparation step to a corresponding step of the recipe; and 
 if the identified meal preparation step does not match the corresponding step of the recipe, alert the person of a discrepancy between the identified meal preparation step and the associated step of the recipe, otherwise, if the identified meal preparation step matches the corresponding step of the recipe, update a progress of the person preparing the meal. 
 
     
     
       9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the meal preparation step comprises one or more of transferring a food item into a container, transferring the food item out of the container, stirring the food item, whipping the food item, cutting the food item, opening a jar that contains the food item or cutting the food item on a cutting block that has been placed on the pressure sensitive device. 
     
     
       10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 8 , further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:
 receive, from the pressure sensitive device, a footprint pressure distribution; and 
 identify a meal preparation implement based on the received footprint pressure distribution, wherein the meal preparation implement is one or more of a knife, a spoon, a fork, a cutting block or a container. 
 
     
     
       11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 8 , further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:
 identify a characteristic of the meal preparation step; and 
 compare the identified characteristic to an expected characteristic of the corresponding step of the recipe, wherein the characteristic includes one or more of a duration or an intensity of the meal preparation step. 
 
     
     
       12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 8 , further comprising instructions that cause the processor to, if the identified meal preparation step does not match the corresponding step of the recipe, recommend one or more steps for the person to perform in order to address the discrepancy between the identified meal preparation step and the associated step of the recipe. 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 8 , further comprising instructions that cause the processor to, if the identified meal preparation step matches the corresponding step of the recipe, notify the person of a subsequent step in the recipe. 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 8 , further comprising instructions that cause the processor to, upon determining that all steps of the recipe have been completed by the person, notify the user that the recipe has been completed. 
     
     
       15. A meal preparation system comprising a pressure sensitive device and a controller, the controller comprising a processor and memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 receive a recipe associated with a meal to be prepared by a person; 
 receive, from the pressure sensitive device, transient footprint pressure variations that are caused by force from the person preparing the meal that is transferred to the pressure sensitive device; 
 identify a transient signature from the transient footprint pressure variations; 
 identify a meal preparation step that is associated with the identified transient signature; 
 compare the identified meal preparation step to a corresponding step of the recipe; and 
 if the identified meal preparation step does not match the corresponding step of the recipe, alert the person of a discrepancy between the identified meal preparation step and the associated step of the recipe, otherwise, if the identified meal preparation step matches the corresponding step of the recipe, update a progress of the person preparing the meal. 
 
     
     
       16. The meal preparation system of  claim 15 , wherein the meal preparation step comprises one or more of transferring a food item into a container, transferring the food item out of the container, stirring the food item, whipping the food item, cutting the food item, opening a jar that contains the food item, or cutting the food item on a cutting block that has been placed on the pressure sensitive device. 
     
     
       17. The meal preparation system of  claim 15 , further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:
 identify a characteristic of the meal preparation step; and 
 compare the identified characteristic to an expected characteristic of the corresponding step of the recipe, wherein the characteristic includes one or more of a duration or an intensity of the meal preparation step. 
 
     
     
       18. The meal preparation system of  claim 15 , further comprising instructions that cause the processor to, if the identified meal preparation step does not match the corresponding step of the recipe, recommend one or more steps for the person to perform in order to address the discrepancy between the identified meal preparation step and the associated step of the recipe. 
     
     
       19. The meal preparation system of  claim 15 , further comprising instructions that cause the processor to, if the identified meal preparation step matches the corresponding step of the recipe, notify the person of a subsequent step in the recipe. 
     
     
       20. The meal preparation system of  claim 15 , further comprising instructions that cause the processor to, upon determining that all steps of the recipe have been completed by the person, notify the user that the recipe has been completed.